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UK dancers and fans were able to catch us on the BBC’s “The Sound of Movie Musicals with Neil Brand.” Dancers from The Verdon Fosse Legacy worked on Bob Fosse’s “Rich Man’s Frug” from SWEET CHARITY (1966) under the direction of Lloyd Culbreath and Dana Moore. To check out a teaser from the episode, click here.

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Verdon Fosse Legacy reconstructeur, Valarie Pettiford, taught a master class in her home city of Los Angeles this past weekend. The class at EDGE Performing Arts Center brought a tremendous turnout of talented and hard-working dancers. Valarie taught a section from “Dancin’ Dan (Me and My Shadows),” a trio of which she originated (and served as dance captain) in Bob Fosse’s final Broadway show, BIG DEAL.

We look forward to teaching more classes on the West Coast in the near future! If you are interested in hosting a Fosse Master Class at a college, dance studio, or performing arts company near you, shoot us an e-mail at theverdonfosselegacyllc@gmail.com.

The annual Actors Fund/Career Transition for Dancers Gala took place on October 31st at the New York Mariott Marquis. Funds raised by this gala provide vital services to the professional dance community including career counselling; scholarships; health insurance guidance, counselling and enrollment support; housing services; case management and so much more. The gala, hosted by Bebe Neuwirth, honored Baayork Lee, Jerry Mitchell, John DeLuca, Rob Marshall, and Carmen de Lavallade.

The Verdon Fosse Legacy was invited to perform again for this year’s event. Lloyd Culbreath and Marissa Calabrese reconstructed Bob Fosse’s “Mexican Breakfast” on Alexa de Barr, Jessica Lee Goldyn, and Cajai Fellows Johnson. The groovy trio, which originally starred Gwen Verdon, was performed on The Ed Sullivan Show (1969).

Cajai Fellows Johnson, Jessica Lee Goldyn, and Alexa de Barr

Nicole Fosse and Bebe Neuwirth

To learn more about The Actors Fund/Career Transition for Dancers, visit www.actorsfund.org.

Valarie Pettiford (BIG DEAL, DANCIN’, FOSSE) taught a master class at Talent Unlimited High School in New York City. A group of students at the public performing arts school got the opportunity to learn signature Fosse steps and style. The class culminated in a Q&A with Valarie.

E-mail theverdonfosselegayllc@gmail.com to inquire about setting up a Fosse master class at your studio, school, or university.

It’s why Nicole Fosse has made it her mission to make sure her parents’ work is kept alive, and preserved exactly how it was taught.

“Over the last few decades, the Fosse work that has been out in the world, it’s morphed over time and it’s lost its multifacetedness, People were putting on Bowler hats, doing jazz hands and thrusting their pelvis forward and I said, that’s not my father’s choreography,” Nicole Fosse said.

As artistic director, she’s brought in reconstructeurs who worked closely with her parents to work with a new generation of dancers.

“I come from the ballet world and so I was utilizing that format of how it’s passed on from generation to generation. It’s a whole work ethic, it’s the stories of how it was created, why it was created,” Fosse added.

It’s that repetition, fixing it, little details, living it, practicing it. That’s what takes you to the level of being the Fosse dancer. And I’m so grateful that I get to pass that on in some way,” reconstructeur Dana Moore explained.

Something that’s not lost on these aspiring artists.

“You’re not gonna get hands on training like this anywhere else. Where we spend three to four hours a day working on one piece, dissecting it, to the point where you’re doing everything exactly as it’s intended.” one dancer said.

Verdon Fosse Legacy reconstructeur, Lloyd Culbreath, set “Bye, Bye Blackbird” on the dancers of Steps on Broadway’s first ever Summer Theatre Dance Intensive. The piece, originally from “Liza with a Z,” was performed at the contemporary dance showcase in Bryant Park and at the students’ final concert at Steps.

“The program had many international students,” said Culbreath. “It was exciting to bring Mr. Fosse’s work to young people from around the globe.”

Lucas Segovia (Joffrey Ballet, An American in Paris) trained extensively with Verdon Fosse Legacy reconstructeur, Lloyd Culbreath, on “Percussion 4,” an incredibly technical and athletic ballet solo from DANCIN’. “It’s not often that you run across a talented ballet dancer who has such a feel for jazz and theatre dance,” remarked Culbreath. Segovia performed the solo at a number of benefit performances in Argentina.